There are two new Glee projects today. One airs at 10 p.m., but the other starts right here.

Dear Mr. Murphy:

As a show, Glee has never shied away from tough issues facing high school students. You’ve tackled everything from teen pregnancy to texting while driving (no wonder Quinn got into Yale—she had terrific fodder for her essays!).

So, this is the SALT Blog’s summer Glee project: Get a meaningful financial aid conversation into at least one episode of the upcoming season of Glee.

We’ll start the ball rolling by suggesting some songs you could incorporate into the episode:

“Money (That’s What I Want)” by The Beatles

Blaine receives his award letter, and it’s not pretty. So, what does he want from the school? More money! Particularly free money, which comes in the form of grants and scholarships.

“Love Don’t Cost a Thing” by Jennifer Lopez

It turns out that Rachel’s dads can’t afford NYADA. She freaks out, unsure if she can stay in school. Finn comforts her the only way he knows how—through song! Bonus: FOX gets some J.Lo American Idol synergy.

“Free Ride” by the Edgar Winter Group

Mr. Schue provides an important overview of the financial aid process, letting the New Directions know that there are very few free rides to college. Subplot: Mr. Schue wears an Edgar Winter wig, adding new life to Sue’s jokes about his hair.

Anything by Amy Grant

That’s not a song title; I mean literally anything by Amy Grant. It could be “Baby, Baby”; it could be “Every Heartbeat.” I’m just focused on the “grant” aspect here. (Hey, they’re not all winners—I’m the one without the Emmys, remember?)

So, from one Ryan to another, let’s make it happen. Please don’t make me resort to writing FAFSA/Glee fan fiction.

Sincerely,
Ryan Lane
SALT Blog

Readers: What do you guys think some good financial aid-related songs would be? Sound off in the comments!

“If I Had a Million Dollars” by Bare Naked Ladies
Will and Emma take a break from the stress of planning their wedding to daydream about all of the things they’d do with millions–except buy a Llama or an Emu (too messy for Emma).

Let’s go real old school and go with , “Brother Can You Spare a Dime” from the ’30′s. Quinn and Rachel come back from Yale and NYADA dead broke from paying their tuition bills and get the old gang together to sing this song to the entire school. The reality of the financial situation sets in when they count their takings later and only have $3.51 to show for it (Puck only put in a penny!)

So, Rachel and Quinn are sitting on a bench in Central Park on crying about how they don’t know how they are going to pay for school. Rachel looks up at the sky and says, “I wish it would rain money”. Suddenly money starts pouring from the sky, and we go into a dream/fantasy sequence of “PENNIES FROM HEAVEN”:

The entire Glee gang is there singing along, including Finn and Mr. Shew.
But the sequence ends, and we are back to reality with Rachel and Quinn sitting on the bench by themselves. Quinn turns to Rachel and says, “You know, we really have to figure out how to pay for college!”.

I know Glee loves itself some Wizard of Oz (or at least Wicked). They could do a theme episode where the kids go off to the “magical world” of college, only to realize it’s not quite as ideal as it seems because of the “Money” it costs. (A nice wink toward Dark Side of the Moon.)

And staying with Pink Floyd, maybe at the end of the show, they get so frustrated with the money aspect, they all say “Forget it-I don’t need college” and go into the big “The Wall” production number – “We don’t need no education! We don’t need no thought control…”

Of course, at the beginning of the next episode, they’re back to reality, looking for ways to pay for college (The SALT blog is helping them out!).

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